A/N
Business picked up, and I have been busy as hell. Sorry to all that have been waiting, I will try to be better about posting. Hope the wait was worth it.
Nabb
Pair of Jacks
Justin called for a quick break before he broke everyone up into teams for the taser dart training. Immediately half the squad was in the back, bets quietly exchanged, ranging from who would be out first, to how many people Asher, the reigning champion, would get out, to whether the two officers would get even one Alpha squad member out. Vivien stayed by his side, at the front of class, still holding the clipboard to her chest with a single paw. They continued quietly discussing whatever was on her clipboard, her eyes never wavering from the two other canines, her other delicate paw running down her side to smooth the already perfect hip hugging blue skirt.
Judy stared at her the entire time, she heard Nick swallow hard. She glanced at her partner, wondering what could have caused such a large gulp. She shook her head to clear it, and had a little pep talk with herself. 'Ok Judy. You know nothing about this female, regardless of how perfect her hips are. Swallow some of that jealousy, and be an adult. I'm sure she isn't all that bad, once you get to know her.' Vivien ran her spare paw down the powder puff of her tail, every last inch of it. It appeared self conscience, but Judy could smell the, 'Wait, Judy. Damnit. Relax. Breathe, dear. No one, especially Nick, is going to like an angry, jealous bunny hopping around here. She's fine. She's harmless. Nick wouldn't want her anyway.' She stole a quick glance again, he was busy rubbing his eyes, like in disbelief. She returned her gaze to the arctic vixen still talking quietly with Justin, and flashed her most winning smile, ears held high. Vivien looked for the quickest of seconds, and flashed one back. Judy's smile deepened with sincerity. 'Yeah, not a bad female at all. I might even like her.'
"Hey Carrots." Nick whispered.
"Hm, yeah, what Nick?" She murmured back, the "Nice Judy" smile still on her muzzle, her voice ringing with a carefree tone.
"That's my Ex-girlfriend, the one that comes up now and again on long boring shifts that I haven't seen since just after high school. Damn, she looks good."
Annnnnnnd she hated her again. The shock of the atomic bomb Nick just detonated in her life must have displayed across her muzzle, because the vixen's smile deepened, seeping into her aquamarine eyes. Her ears fell to the table.
While Nick stared, George continued working on his phone in the symbols of Heather's encryption. He worked through the conversation between the ZPD officers, as Heather did much the same. As Judy's mind was trying to process what Nick had just told her, George's brows rose, mostly from the bunny's expression, somewhere between massive confusion and almost hatred. Since he had been listening, he felt a touch of embarrassment for Judy. He stood, politely offering a paw to Heather, who flashed her most winning smile at the touch of their paws, the radiant effect making George smile as well. "Well, since Mr. Jones has passed us as qualified, I think we have a measure of work ahead of us, Heather." She opened her muzzle, but before she could stand or utter a word, George's cell phone chirped, announcing an incoming call. With a half smile for apology, George turned away from the others for a bit of privacy, but not before the sharp eyed Nick spotted the name Herald Kralstein. George's voice was just above a whisper, though all near him heard, "Hello Herald, how are you today?" as he made his way to a side room.
Justin approached Heather, Vivien staying a step behind, her eyes never leaving the group, or at least as much as she could see over the taller badger's shoulder. The ZPD mammals rose as the pair approached, the table still between them, Judy hopping onto her chair. "George have an important call?" he asked Heather in a hushed tone, the room abuzz with Alpha squad squaring up old bets and placing new ones.
"Yes, Justin. You know how it is, business never waits with George or Mr. Card." She smiled politely, looking up from her ever-present tablet, still comfortably seated. Vivien had taken a submissive stance this close to Heather, gathering behind Justin's left shoulder, twisting away slightly, though her beautiful tail was in full view of everyone at the table.
A grunt in reply, Justin's normally chipper muzzle was stuck in a dower frown, ironic since he seemed to be a walking contradiction of his species, and his current features marked him normal. "Viv has some things he needs to look over, for approval from Mr. Card. Needs to be done ASAP." Glancing at the officers, he figured some introductions were in order. Gesturing behind him, "Judy, Nick. This is Vivien. Viv, these two are our newest trainees." With that, the vixen came around the badger, her precious clipboard held with her left paw, her right paw extended toward the gray bunny perched on her chair.
"Happy to meet you, Judy." The pawshake was delicate, much like her voice. Her bright, aqua eyes seemed bigger this close, mostly from the perfectly white fur, though they contained the faintest hint of mischief that Judy couldn't quite bring herself to trust. Her ears were peaked, straight ahead, giving her undivided attention to the smaller officer, the puff of a tail straight behind her.
"Likewise." Judy stated, her ears upright, the smallest play of a smile running across her small muzzle, which was returned.
Vivian released her paw from Judy's grasp, and turned to Nick, with a big, goofy grin on his muzzle. "Hey Viv." He extended his paw in anticipation of a formal greeting, she wrapped her arms around him in an embrace that caught him and everyone around off guard.
"I thought that was you Nicky! God, I haven't seen you in ages! What have you been up to? Where did you disappear to? After High School, you just vanished." She pulled back from the embrace, looked at his wonder-filled emerald eyes, their muzzles only inches apart. She was still incredibly quiet, but her level of excitement was obvious.
As the pair chatted quietly, Judy quickly realized why the vixen had such mischief in her eyes as she watched the white paws run up Nick's arms in an 'unconscious' way. Her head was cocked in a coy manner, and she was just short enough to have to look up at Nick, the passivity of her perfection making Judy grind her teeth as every unconscious nuance of the feminine oozed off her potential rival. Vivien was in a perfectly form fitting skirt, emphasizing her distinct curvasity, while she was stuck in a sharp, but hip hiding suit. And the wanton flirtation with HER fox was completely unacceptable. Judy's phone dinged, a new text, pulling her from her dark train of thought as she unbunched her unconsciously clenched fist. Neither fox noticed the alert. Her purple eyes saw the text from Heather, two simple words. 'Breathe, dear.' She stole a glance at the jaguar, who had leaned back and crossed her legs, working furiously on her device. Her phone gave a small vibration, turning her attention back to it. 'We should talk over lunch, I'll get rid of the males.' A faint touch of hope sped her heart rate at the possibility of answers, but before she could respond, a throat being cleared pulled everyone's attention to the impeccably well dressed gray wolf standing next to the table.
Justin responded first, "Oh, glad you're back, George. Viv has some things you need to look over for approval for Mr. Card. You have a meeting scheduled after this, so I figured it would be easiest for you, and Viv can get back to her work. Two birds, one stone." His customary grin came back, though it was a little duller than usual.
Vivien quickly took a step back from Nick, and retrieved the clipboard she had placed on the table. "Yes Mr. Coldart. I need Mr. Card to look this over as soon as he can. I think it's incredibly important." Her voice was a hint above a whisper, and her eyes were downcast a touch, though her ears were perked directly toward George. Her tail curved to the side, its full puffy length on display.
George extended his paw for the clipboard, which she instantly relinquished. "I have a meeting with Mr. Card in a few minutes, and would be more than glad to bring it to his attention, Ms. Durand." After glancing over the paper, his tail curled under his left arm, he thumbed it absently. After glancing for a moment, he looked up and pointedly stated. "Thank you." His tone reminded Judy of last night after dinner, when he seemed preoccupied.
Vivien's eyes shot wide open, and she made a fine study of the floor, murmuring, "Thank you Mr. Coldart." Before turning to the door, with her puffy tail down just a touch. Heather and Judy held a neutral expression as they covertly watched the retreating female.
"Heather, I think I'll be missing our customary lunch. I have a pressing business engagement I must attend. I might be finished in time for dinner." George flashed an apologetic half smile, his eyes holding a hint of the steel she only sees when he's attending to extremely important business. Heather gives a smile and graceful nod. With that, George made silent eye contact with Justin, who simply nods, before he offered a paw to Heather, and they walked toward the elevator lobby together, his tail still around his frame and hers with a slight dip at the end.
Justin regained the front of the training room, knocked on a table to pull the attention to himself, and cast an evil grin to the Alpha squad members. "Who's ready for the next round of training?"
The phone rang, waking Ben up from a dead sleep. The extra layered unconventional cover over the cellphone was a hindrance for only a moment before the ringtone died off as the call was received with a quick and irritated swipe of his digits. "Yeah?" the tiredness leaving his tone quickly as he focused on the clock next to his bed. 9:42. The red digital numbers harsh in his bloodshot, graveyard stricken eyes. He groped for, and found the glass of water he always puts behind the clock, the semi cool liquid helping his still tired vocal cords wake up as he listened for the clicks, the program running to ensure no trace or tap could penetrate the call. Always extra secure. The nature of his activity called for it.
The moment the tones indicated all was clear on the line, a male voice he knew well expanded from the tiny speaker. Always the same first question. "Are all the added steps necessary? Seems like a huge waste of time to me." Ben rolled his eyes as he adjusted his glasses to his face, not that he had much to focus on, but the force of habit was strong. He knew the software he'd developed only took a few seconds to render a call clandestine, but for some reason, even a few seconds irritated his caller. Every. Single. Time. Ben shook his head at the persistent impatience of his associate.
"Calm down, Skinner. We've been over this, man. You know the drill, it hasn't changed, and I'm the one that does the computer codes. I know what needs to be done, dude. So chill and let the program work." The normal laid back surfer tone going a touch stiff with the rebuke. Ben indignantly pushed the glasses up his raccoon muzzle, waiting for the coyote to respond.
Skinner continued, a touch dismissive. "Ok Ben, whatever. Look, the boss is waiting for the information. Where and when is the next move of Gazelle? We've been in the dark for over twelve hours, and he doesn't like this. Card bypassed Beta, and went straight to Gamma, which isn't like him, especially with an asset in place. Are you sure they don't suspect someone is inside?"
The seconds ticked by as Ben thought of an answer. He knew he needed to be precise and accurate. He and his brother were privy to all email communications and all the unencrypted and most the encrypted text messages. It's how he was able to break the unbreakable, by maintaining it. Heather might be a computer genius, but she can't be everywhere at once and needed help. Even with all the information he had at his disposal, he didn't know the answers Skinner was looking for. He'd never once seen Card bypass Beta squad, and that was a huge problem. He took a quick gulp of water before responding after Skinner asked his question again.
"I'm not sure, Skinner. I doubt it because they would kick this ant hill over and take a microscope to all of us. And I have access to…"
"I'm well aware of what you have access to." The coyote harshly interrupted. "And I don't care about excuses or pandering to power. I need information, Ben, or this entire house of cards will collapse. If they suspect you, do you have any idea what Card will do to you? We've all heard the rumors, and he handles everything in a very...permanent way." Skinner actually sounded concerned.
The silence built between them, as the bile rose in Ben's raccoon gut. He knew very well what the shrouded master of The Black Fangs could do. Even the white washed accounts he'd seen from Alpha or Gamma squads dealings with those unfortunate enough to catch Jonathan Card's wrath, though few, were enough to make any mammal question his mortality. He'd never heard of any transgression that wasn't met with extreme measures.
Ben sighed, trying to figure out the best way to placate the unusually animated coyote on the other end of the phone line. "I'll look a little harder, but this one is weird. They moved Gazelle to an unknown secure location that doesn't have hard wired surveillance in place. Or if there is, I don't have access, which is impossible, because we have the mainframes." After another sigh, he rubbed his beady eyes, and thought for a second. "I'll have something for you by tomorrow, and I'll call you." Skinner drew a sharp breath, a retort on his tongue, but Ben harshly finished. "I can't tell you what I don't know, alright, man? I'll do what I can, but I'm beat from last night, and need my sleep. The sooner I get to bed, the faster I can get you some answers. You guys might have to do this the old fashioned way, and bribe or beat someone into giving up info, cause my paws are tied."
The silence grew for a time before the coyote responded. "We have. You are our best lead right now, and without this, Volikov might be done before he even gets to start. The other stars are nothing compared to the pop diva, it all hinges on her."
Now it was Ben's turn to be silent for a time. "I understand. I'll figure it out, man."
"Good."